Energy Costs to Sky Rocket -

A very interesting article on energy costs from our local cooperative, Wisconsin Energy Cooperative, detailing what we must look for before we decide what to do about global warming.

In my view, green house gas build up from CO2 is mostly hog wash, but take a minute and decide for your self what this all means for our future energy bills. That there is Climate change is mostly agreed upon, but just what is the cause is very debatable.

I have posted on this very subject in the near past but find it most interesting how the power companies are trying to approach the subject as rationally as possible when our politicians are not.

I hope cool heads will prevail - keep the faith, the battle is joined!


America’s Perfect Storm

Can We Keep Up with Rising Energy Costs?

According to ABC News and other recent polls, the American public is generally aware of climate change and proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are unclear, however, about what needs to be done, who should do it, and what it will cost.

Resoundingly though, consumers say they don’t want to get stuck with a big price tag to pay for climate change solutions.

Ways of curbing greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, involve energy efficiency, new technologies (such as finding ways to store carbon dioxide emissions produced by coal- and natural gas-fired power plants), nuclear power, and renewable energy resources. But what will these solutions cost?

According to a The Washington Post article, electricity bills could rise by 25 to 33 percent just to “stimulate and pay for new technologies.”

Increases Loom

“All of this presents a huge challenge for electric utilities, especially electric cooperatives,” says Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), representing the nation’s 900-plus not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric co-ops. “Electricity demand is increasing because of growth, and we need to build more generating plants and transmission lines to meet this growing demand.”


According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation—which oversees reliability of the bulk power system covering the U.S. and most of Canada—demand for electricity will increase 18 percent over the next 10 years, although the electric industry’s capacity to generate power will increase by only 8.5 percent.

A longer-term forecast by the U.S. Department of Energy predicts that demand for electricity will increase by 40 percent during the next 25 years. Clearly, the country could face brownouts and blackouts unless additional power plants are brought into service.
“With a shortage of electric capacity, huge increases in demand for power, and the cost of climate change, we have the making of a perfect storm,” says English.


Big-Ticket Item

Based on calculations by Charles River Associates, a utility analysis firm, climate change proposals currently circulating in Congress, if passed, could result in a 50- to 80-percent increase in wholesale power costs by the year 2020. Translate that into retail rates and electricity bills could climb by 25 to 40 percent.


“When it comes to climate change, Congress will legislate and state and local governments are already moving forward,” says NRECA Vice President of Environmental Issues Kirk Johnson. “With carbon constraints in our future, it’s essential that lawmakers and elected representatives understand the financial repercussions their political actions could cost Americans.”

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal observed this past summer that the cost issue needs to be considered. If climate change legislation is not handled intelligently and carefully given these accumulating factors, electric bills could double or even triple, based on the best available estimates.


The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a non-profit utility-sponsored consortium whose members include electric co-ops, has developed a seven-part plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions based on technological solutions including energy efficiency, carbon capture and storage, and renewable sources. Although ambitious, the EPRI model would cut carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels (45 percent) by 2030.

Efficiency, Renewables, New Tech


Energy efficiency— reducing the amount of power needed—remains one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. However, energy efficiency alone can’t indefinitely postpone the need to build new power plants or meet climate-change targets, says EPRI, noting that efficiency improvements will reduce electric demand just 9 percent over the next 22 years

Renewable energy and nuclear power development are greatly impacted by massive global price increases for raw materials like nickel, copper, steel, and concrete, all of which raise construction costs for new generating plants. And renewable energy sources, like wind turbines, require transmission lines to move any power generated. At present, the nation’s electric grid is not equipped to do so.


With 50 percent of the nation’s power supply produced by burning coal, research and development of carbon capture and storage technology becomes crucial for keeping coal-fired power plants viable—and the lights on, according to EPRI. The institute’s best guess, however, is that affordable carbon capture and storage technology could hit the market as early as 2020, but that’s only if the federal government embarks on a massive $30 billion research and development program (bigger than putting a man on the moon).

Since no single “silver bullet” solution for tackling climate change exists, electric co-ops are working closely with policymakers to seek long-term, practical, and affordable remedies to the nation’s energy challenges.—

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, with source material from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, EPRI, Department of Energy, Charles River Associates, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal

Liberal Democrats Hate Talk Radio

If you have any sense of history and remember Walter Cronkite and his sign off " and that's the way it is - ", it will be no leap of your imagination to believe we really didn't get to find out ' how it really was' until the ' new media' came along - talk radio.

All those years we were fed what the liberal Democrats and their noise makers in the old media wanted us to know and nothing more.

Just think how things would be different if we were able to get the real news instead being spoon fed the liberal agenda all those years. This is how the liberals wanted to change our country, keep the masses in the dark and then change all of the rules. How were we to know what if fact and what is fiction? - - luckily for us, along came talk radio and Fox News.

The following snip is from NewsMax on one way the liberal fascists plan to put us back in the dark - kill debate - stamp out the truth - all we need to know is what the government tells and we have to believe it. If the liberals get in control this year, we can expect a lot of big changes in this country - I can guarantee you will not like them.


The 2008 election has yet to be decided, but one thing is clear: If the Democrats win the White House, expect an all-out attack on talk radio. Political talk, as we know it, could end.
If they win, Rush, Imus, Savage, Beck, and dozens of other major hosts will be muzzled by using federal regulations to control political talk.
So, what's their plan of attack?

As Newsmax magazine reveals in its just-released special report, "The Battle for Talk Radio," leading liberals in Congress, the Democratic presidential candidates, and even some Republicans speak openly of their plans to end conservative talk radio using federal regulations.
Their weapon: a revived Fairness Doctrine, which would once again require stations to air divergent points of view — a clever ruse that makes station owners leery of airing controversial talk-radio hosts fearing law suits and federal sanctions.
With a new Fairness Doctrine, you could see many top conservative radio hosts canned.

Words of Wisdom

There are some things that we just have to have and we will not be put - we are obsessed - but stop and think for a few seconds on this sentence.

"Before you set your heart on something, look around you to see how happy people are who have it"

America Means Life and Liberty

With all of the nonsense that we are bombarded with each day in politics and our lives, we have to sometimes step back and take the long view of life.

America is everything we need to do what ever we want - the sky is the limit!

It's not unreasonable to say we are the most power full country on earth, if not all of history - not because of our nuclear weapons, but because of the deep seated notion that America is the land of 'I can do this - -' anything is possible because we have the opportunity to go as far as we want - all it takes is the desire and a dream, the rest is guaranteed by our heritage of freedom - freedom that has been watered by the blood of thousands that have gone before us -

I can't believe we would through this all away to gain a few steps on some ladder of success that will ultimately lead to no where if we lose our freedom.

These two guys, Stix and Stones, symbolize what I am talking about - they look to me for direction and comfort, but at the same time, they love their freedom when released. The world is as big as their legs will take them at full speed. Isn't that what America offers us - an wide open field to run as fast as we want to, in any direction. The only thing holding us back is our will to run.

Enjoy the freedom that we have but never forget how we got here and those that came before us. Remember, nothing is free - freedom is no different.

Stay alert and focused on what's important - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but also the cost if we decide they aren't important enough to sacrifice some of our short term goals to keep them. Never ever allow freedom to slip away because you are making a life and can't be bothered - don't allow others to decide for you.

I believe this with my whole heart - so keep the faith - the battle is joined! - .

Random Thoughts on Katrina

Now that some time has past, one has the tendency to forget what happened in New Orleans. To say it was a nightmare for all concerned is just being polite - what really happened and what has transpired since is beyond rational thought.

New Orleans is a liberal money pit and has been for the last forty years so it is no wonder that millions of dollars can be sent down there and it all just seems to disappear. Ray Nagon, Rep. Mary Landrieu, Gov. Blanko, and least of all Rep William Jefferson, are all guilty of gross negligence. But they are all Democrats and liberals so no matter how despicable their actions, no one cares. They are just being liberal Democrats.

I just got done reading an article in the NRA's American Rifleman titled " Never Forget - Never Again" concerning how the Nagon machine attacked it's citizens with the Gestapo like brutality demanding they all surrender their guns. Fox news caught these thugs knocking around an old woman and kicking in doors of privates citizens without warrants to take their only protection against criminals that saw a good opportunity to steal everything that wasn't nailed down.

Of course Ray Nagon didn't want anything to happen to his friends that were roaming the streets in the darkest of night, so the best thing to do was attack the citizens by suspending civil rights and instituting martial law. It was totally unconstitutional but it didn't matter to Ray's army of thugs.

Did I mention that 270 police officers failed to show up to help with this mess that ensued from forty years of neglect after the hurricane hit? And the 200 buses that sat under water - - Why didn't they bring Nagon up on negligent homicide charges?

Democrats are the problem here, and as we can see with William Jefferson, still in his committee and service with oh so much grace in our government, the problem is not likely to go away any time soon.

But never fear, keep the faith - the battle is joined!

Mandated - CO2 Emissions to Equal 1990 Levels

I can't seem to help myself - I see this insanity and it drives me nuts - who are these morons? Did you know that the United States economy is 85 percent fossil fuel based? Also, the best estimates for alternate fuel use in this country might reach 18 percent by 2020.

Get this, the restrictions on power plant emissions of carbon dioxide will be mandated to levels seen in 1990.

The Electric Power Research Institute explains that we must meet these new restriction by the year 2030. EPRI estimates this would prevent economic growth equivalent to 2 trillion kilowatt hours - this is half of all the electricity consumed nationwide last year, 2006.

The EPRI believes this mandate will not happen unless nuclear capacity expands and that effective carbon capture technologies become available for general use.

I know this will not happen as the liberal left hates nuclear. They hate anything that doesn't benefit them directly and leaves others at a disadvantage and Research and development can not be mandated or gained by consensus.

Demand for power is growing twice as fast as the expansion of generation capability - What ever happened to common sense? Maybe this idiot crossing the ocean on body fat will have the answers we need, do ya think - NOT!

Hang on, keep the faith - the battle is joined!

Be A Conservative - Be Happy - Enjoy Life

This really is cute and true as any guy will attest - it's just that you have to keep the bigger picture in mind when you are actually out of the influence of a higher authority - heh

This comes from a Canadian friend - heh

Enjoy


An Alberta woodpecker and a Saskatchewan woodpecker were arguing about which place had the toughest trees.

The Alberta woodpecker said Alberta had a tree that no woodpecker could peck.

The Saskatchewan woodpecker accepted his challenge and promptly pecked a hole in the tree with no problem. The Alberta woodpecker was amazed.

The Saskatchewan woodpecker then challenged the Alberta woodpecker to peck a tree in Saskatchewan that was absolutely im-peckable (a term woodpeckers like to use). The Alberta woodpecker expressed confidence, said he could do it and accepted the challenge.

So the two flew to Saskatchewan where the Alberta woodpecker successfully pecked the so-called impeckable tree with no problem. Both woodpeckers were terribly confused.

How is it that the Saskatchewan woodpecker was able to peck the Alberta tree and the Alberta woodpecker was able to peck the Saskatchewan tree, yet neither was able to peck the tree in their own province????

After much woodpecker pondering, they both came to the same conclusion: Apparently your pecker gets harder when you're away from home.

How Reliable is The Power Grid?

Remember the black outs in 2003 and all of the pundits that demanded we do what ever it takes to ensure it won't happen again? As with most crises that we have, it's hot today and gone tomorrow - until it happens again and it will, but not to worry, the liberal camp says their isn't a problem just bad management of resources.

According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, 'this fall's demand growth is steadily pacing development of new power supplies and the emergencies are occurring more often. They also expect the US power demand to grow twice as fast as the capacity to meet it over the coming decade'.

Why would we need to build more power plants? All we have to do is turn our thermostats down, wear more cloths in the house. Just think, your electric bill being twice as high as it is today or maybe we won't have a bill at all because their won't be any electrical power to sell.

Oh wait, no power for us that is, but the experts at the universities and Washington will have all they want - after all they are the thinkers and shakers that have the answers that will save us all from ourselves.

But all is not lost - keep the faith - the battle is joined!

Only the Best Will Do

There is no way someone could say these beautiful animals aren't a sheer delight to a persons life - we love them dearly -

Electric Power Usage Flat but Price is Up

All we have heard of late is how we have to conserve energy - the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has finalized their figures for 2006 and shows that the increase in price for electrical power is the largest in twenty five years. At the same time power generation for the year increased only two tenths of one percent of 2005.

The price rose 8.9 percent per kilowatt hour, a 9.3 percent increase over the 2005 average and the biggest since 1981. What is up with this? We use less but we pay more.

We used total over 4 million megawatt hours in 2006, half of which came from coal fired plants, which by the way are on the way to being extinct, natural gas and nuclear were tied with 20 and 19 percent respectively. Renewables account for approximately 2.4 percent and oil fueled about 1.6 percent less than that.

I find these figures to be astounding - I know the liberals who live in tents and eat bark want everyone else to do the same but I for one will not, as I know 99.8 percent of the total population likes to live in a warm house in the winter or a cool house in the summer.

It surely doesn't take rocket science to figure out that not drilling in the Anwar or off our coasts or not building any more nuclear plants will drive the price of power through the roof as demand goes up each year. What will the 'ecofasists' have to say when the 'brown outs' start or people freeze to death in the winter because they can't afford to buy fuel or power companies can't generate enough electricity to meat the demand? I know what they will say, " to bad".

Hillary has indicated, and voted, to stop any drill in this country or the building of new refiners. We haven't built a new refinery in this country in thirty years. What has the demand done in that time? She wants us to live on ethanol, wind power and vegetable fat- she says we have to become energy independent from foreign oil - What is she talking about - we need the oil to survive - what about national security when our economy goes into the toilet and we can't defend our selves? Oh I know, we will engage in dialogue with the bad people that want us dead!!

Anyway, keep the faith, the battle is joined